Annie Dillard's "Seeing"

I think we can all agree that Annie Dillard's "Seeing" took our class discussion, on noticing the hidden gifts of life, to a whole new level. Her descriptive wording and comforting details truly engaged us in the reading and made us see ordinary things from completely new perspectives. We immediately recognize how Dillard sees the world just based on the way she speaks to us through her writing. The way she describes how she can see the earth turning, rather than the stars, if she sits still in the night long enough, or how she goes into detail about the birds that seem to "materialize" out of the specifically Osage orange trees as if they weren't even hiding behind the leaves - examples like these spark our imagination and allow us to see things, once again, from completely new perspectives. That is entirely what "Seeing" focuses on; we can see anything and everything from different perspectives as long as we allow ourselves to.

The way she begins this piece, not only serves as a good hook, but sticks out as one of the most prominent examples in the entire text. She describes how, at a young age, she would take pennies and hide them for others to find. Dillard tells us that she would even draw arrows and write hints with chalk that said, "SURPRISE AHEAD" or "MONEY THIS WAY." Through this anecdote, the audience learns that the value of the penny is almost irrelevant. The value in finding the penny is not finding the penny itself, rather it is the curiosity and excitement of searching for such a treasure that is fulfilling. By including this short story in the introduction of the text, Dillard immediately gives the audience a taste of the happiness one can experience if he/she stops to notice the little things in life - the small opportunities people most likely pass by everyday because they are simply not looking for them.

What I can appreciate most about Dillard's "Seeing" is how she makes us realize what we often are missing in life without coming right out and saying it. Through the many details she includes in her examples, the audience can accept the near subliminal message that Dillard is trying to provide - do not pass up the opportunity to see nature from other perspectives and truly see the finer components of the life that surrounds us on a daily basis.